


you're holding me like water in your hands

by eitherwaywerenotalone



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Badass Lin Beifong, F/F, Fluff, Full Moon, Ocean, Romance, Useless Lesbians, Waterbending & Waterbenders, Young Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:33:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29611542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eitherwaywerenotalone/pseuds/eitherwaywerenotalone
Summary: Lin, for as long as she could remember, had loved watching Kya waterbend.She noticed every graceful curve of Kya’s fingers as the streams of water were expertly pushed and pulled through the air, every elegant movement of her honey coloured arms as she twisted and twirled the clear water around her body.Lin noticed how that as she swayed, the flowing sprays seemed to sway with her in an intricate dance between a master and her element.
Relationships: Kya II & Tenzin (Avatar), Lin Beifong/Kya II
Comments: 16
Kudos: 56





	1. new moon

**Author's Note:**

> title from moon song by phoebe bridgers ! 
> 
> this line inspired me to write a three-shot of lin being so very gay for kya when she bends. this chapter is young kyalin, next will be them as young-ish adults, and third will be them the same age they are in the show. 
> 
> enjoy <33

Lin, for as long as she could remember, had loved watching Kya waterbend. 

She noticed every graceful curve of Kya’s fingers as the streams of water were expertly pushed and pulled through the air, every elegant movement of her honey coloured arms as she twisted and twirled the clear water around her body, noticed how as Kya swayed, the flowing sprays seemed to sway with her in an intricate dance between a master and her element. 

Kya was the human embodiment her of element, and Lin thought that Kya being born any other type of bender would be a contradiction to her very nature. 

Like a river, Kya was fluid and adaptable, rushing through the fields of life, flowing wherever the current saw fit, versatile and resilient enough to make a life wherever she went. 

Like the tides of the ocean, she was molded by blustering winds and the hypnotising push and pull, the Tui and La, of the moon and the sea, following the primal instinct within herself to explore the world, a need to flow everywhere, be everywhere at once. 

She was like a wave that quietly lapped at the shore in times of peace as she smoothed over the sharp parts of life for others, healing injuries caused by circumstance, and in times of turmoil, her emotions causing her to crash and break against the steep cliffs she faced. 

Lin could draw comparisons between Kya and water all day, but what she loved most about Kya, is how she treated Lin like the streams of water she bent so effortlessly through the air, - reverentially, delicately, and assuredly with her capable hands. 

When Kya bent water, she felt the flow of the liquid as fluidly as if it was a part of her own body – she was not in control of the water, but its’ equal: the two were almost one – pushing and pulling in an endless rhythm until Lin could hardly tell where one ended and the next began. 

******* 

Lin was five, Kya seven. It was a spring day, a warm breeze blowing over Air Temple Island, the beginnings of buds on the pink and white cherry blossom trees starting to peek out after the harsh winds of winter that always battered the island relentlessly. 

Toph had left Lin in the care of Aang and Katara for the day, as she was currently heading a case involving Yakone, a gang leader, and more concerningly, an alleged bloodbender. 

Lin, being five, was eager to spend the day in a world of Uncle Aang’s enthralling stories and his steady knee, and Aunt Katara’s warm, comforting hugs and delicious cooking, and, best of all, exploring the island and running around, gallivanting with Kya and Tenzin. 

The three children, always in sight of Katara’s watchful eye, ventured down to the beach, Lin eager to make the sand swirl around her in a desperate attempt to mimic what Kya was able to do with the water of the ocean that met the shore. 

Lin watched as her friend raced into the water, her short legs running as fast as she could, shouting first with glee, then with shock from the sudden cold of the water. 

Once the initial cold of the freezing water was thrown off, Kya began to giggle joyfully as she skipped and hopped and danced over the gentle waves, flinging her arms wildly around her head as she pulled and splashed and manipulated the water under her frenzied, childish command, without control, without grace, just with pure, innocent happiness. 

The bright sunlight was glinting off the darting waves, causing the entire expanse of the bay to gleam and shimmer with seemingly thousands of sparkling lights, with Kya at the centre of this heavenly sight. Lin was filled with an urge to do something, anything, so her friend would look over at her. 

She watched as Kya skipped through the water, cheering and whooping at her infectious joy, before filling her little lungs with air and shouting, 

“Kya! Watch this!” 

Kya heard Lin’s thin voice cut through the roaring sound of the water splashing around her, and turned her small, dark head around to see her friend bending the sand particles on the beach much like she had been moving the water – with no sense of discipline or control, just with pure, unadulterated joy. 

The sand flew in soft waves around Lin’s small body, twisting and turning just as the water had been, the particles then catching on the wind and being carried away, dancing towards the ocean. 

Kya shrieked with joy and laughter, and sprinted out of the water back towards Lin, her mother and Tenzin, still carrying a small stream of water behind her as she ran. 

Little, five-year-old Lin giggled with glee as Kya ran, knowing she’d never seen anything more delightful in her short life as her friend in the water, joyfully swiping at the waves. 

****** 

Somehow, Kya and Lin had always been the best of friends, despite their two-year age gap. Although that had never had any consequence to their friendship when they were younger, but somehow now they were teenagers, the two were almost closer than ever. 

To outside eyes, the girls were an odd pairing, seeming to be complete opposites – Kya had the smooth, darker skin and tall, slender figure typical of the Southern Water Tribe, deep blue eyes that seemed to wink and glisten like the ocean underneath the sun, and long, so long, shiny, dark brown hair that was ordinarily pulled back into a traditional ponytail. 

She had a mischievous, playful and nurturing spirit, always bringing light and laughter to all that surrounded her. 

Lin on the other hand, was slightly shorter, but compared to Kya, that wasn’t hard, and had the beginnings of muscle to her lithe body. She had very fair, almost porcelain-like skin, the kind of skin that quicky betrayed any sort of blush, and her hair was shorter, almost uncontrollably thick so it was usually pinned back, and jet black, like her mother’s. 

She possessed narrow, inquisitive, deep green eyes and a steely, intense stare that could almost pierce metal. 

Lin had a much more serious disposition than Kya, responsible, competitive and intelligent, but strangely, there was something about the two that just effortlessly complimented each other. 

They provided balance for each other – Kya was one of the only people in the world that could force Lin to actually relax, and Lin helped Kya bring some stability and structure to her sometimes all-over-the-place life. 

Similar to their contrasting personalities, they each had their own style of bending. 

Kya had a way of guiding the water around her body that was mesmerising to watch- she treated it almost as a friend, allowing the curve of the water to become an extension of herself, bending the water so fluidly it could adapt to anything. 

Lin was an earthbender, her element far more stubborn, rigid and structured, as was Lin’s own nature. The earth grounded her to reality, kept her anchored, and Lin had always felt deeply connected to her element. She bent earth firmly, steadfastly and purposefully, as her mother taught her, always waiting, and listening before taking action. Every small flick of her wrist and tiny twitch of her fingers had a purpose. 

Even though the two friend’s bending styles were so different, they were always very evenly matched, and Lin always enjoyed watching Kya spar with her siblings, and especially enjoyed the many hours that she got to spend sparring with Kya. 

Lin told herself that she was just interested in waterbending, that it was healthy to take an interest in element’s that weren’t one’s own, and that the cause of the hot, flustered feeling that would settle over her body like humid air as she watched Kya spar was just that she was very invested in the match. 

But her supposed _interest _in the art of waterbending couldn’t explain the burning sensation in her lower stomach as she watched the curve of Kya’s lean arms, gleaming with sweat, powerfully blast a jet of water dangerously near Tenzin’s head, or the subtle quickening of Lin’s breath and the slick feeling between her legs when she drank Kya in, as, with a flick of her delicate fingers, she wrapped a tendril of water around Tenzin’s ankle and pulled him to the ground.__

____

_Lin pushed herself off the ground, flinging herself to the side as she dodged a jet of water. The jet has hurtled towards her from the side, and the corners of Lin’s mouth twitched up, forming her usual lazy smirk. Had Kya forgotten who she was dealing with?_

______ _ _

_“Whoa!” she yelled involuntarily as a huge wave suddenly crashed over her from the other side, knocking her roughly to the ground._

________ _ _ _ _

_There was no way Kya was letting Lin get up this time, so she careened at full speed into Lin, tumbling on top of her with a heavy “Oomph!”, before freezing Lin’s wrists to the ground with a blast of ice. ___

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

_“You done yet, Linny?” she drawled teasingly, Lin’s despised nickname dripping off her tongue like honey._

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_Lin’s breath hitched in the back of her throat, and Kya raised an eyebrow as Lin scowled up at her, but her narrow green eyes had a look that Kya wasn’t used to. Could that be – lust? ___

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It couldn’t explain the urge Lin sometimes got, as she lay in her bed on hot summer nights, thinking back over the intense sparring match her and Kya had engaged in where Kya had stumbled on top of her and landed flush against Lin’s chest, her breasts pressed hard against Lin, to ease the ache in between her legs. 

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It didn’t explain the way these thoughts would end with one of Lin’s hands shoved down her underwear, and one hand clamped over her mouth, stifling her soft sighs and needy moans. She thought of Kya’s soft, full lips, merely millimetres from her face. She thought of the soft pressure of Kya’s breasts against her own, the sensation of Kya’s hardened nipples digging into her skin. 

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She thought of the hungry look in Kya’s darkened eyes as she straddled Lin’s hips, preventing her from leaving the ground after knocking her off her feet. She shivered as she remembered the freezing sensation of the ice against her wrists. 

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It didn’t explain the way Lin would arch her back, bucking her hips against what she imagined was Kya’s deft, practised hand. 

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And it certainly didn’t explain the way she would finish in a euphoric rush as her body untensed, how she would flop back onto her soft pillows, her chest flushed and heaving and her body sweating. 

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Fleeting images of Kya’s lean body, covered in sweat, blasting daggers of ice and jets of water in every direction were the last thoughts that lingered on her mind before sleep overtook her.

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	2. waxing crescent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> our girls in their early to mid 20s !

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lin is so gay for kya. and likewise. i love them so much. plz let me know what you think, and enjoy <3

“Hey Officer, finally come to arrest me?” a familiar, honey toned voice stopped Lin dead in her tracks as she strode purposefully down the street. 

Lin spun on her heel so quickly she almost stumbled, her mind reeling. She hadn’t heard that voice since- Could it be? 

Kya.

The waterbender had left Republic City some years ago to travel the world, as their parents once had. Kya had never been content or satisfied staying in one place, for she had the nature of an Air Nomad, free spirited, restless, and eager to experience other cultures - Lin had always known that one day she would go, the signs were there even when they were young. 

Even though Lin knew that Kya would eventually leave home, leave _her _, that didn’t stop it feeling like her entire world shuddered to an abrupt halt when Kya left.__

____

In every knock at the door of her solitary apartment, in every dancing wave of the sea that lapped on Air Temple Island, hell, even in the takeaway she would order from Narook's, the best Southern Water Tribe joint in Republic City, unwilling, yet persistent memories of Kya would plague her mind. 

____

Of course, Lin had just started at the Police Academy, following in Toph’s footsteps to become a police officer. She had spent her whole childhood with Kya, so of course she knew, and supported Lin’s dreams and aspirations, although she took great pleasure pushing the serious earthbender’s buttons. 

____

“ _Hey Lin, does this mean that maybe one day you’ll put me in handcuffs? _”__

______ _ _

_That _had been the first thing Kya had said when Lin announced that she was joining the Academy, because of course it was, a teasing look in her bright blue eyes, and a cheeky, lopsided grin on her mischievous face as she tilted her head to one side.__

________ _ _ _ _

Lin had just let out her usual grumble, her pale cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she muttered under her breath about how she was sure that one day, she’d have no choice, before betraying a small chuckle. Kya was the only one that could make Lin laugh while simultaneously making her want to slam her head against a wall she was so infuriating. 

________ _ _ _ _

But then Kya left. Lin knew it was coming, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. Kya promised to write, and to her credit, she usually did, at least once a month, but Lin was never able to reply as Kya was never in one place long enough. 

________ _ _ _ _

Lin looked forward to her letters more that she would ever admit to anyone, and usually the letter, when it came, full of stories of Kya’s wild exploits and the even wilder people she met along the way, it was the highlight of Lin’s otherwise dull, normal, week full of endless paperwork and gruelling night shifts. 

________ _ _ _ _

Kya hadn’t told her, however, that she would be returning home, and so seeing her there, standing right in front of her, close enough to touch, left Lin feeling like she’d just been winded, no air left in her lungs, drowning helplessly in eyes as blue as the glittering ocean underneath a clear blue sky on a hot summer’s day. 

________ _ _ _ _

“Kya!” Lin managed to gasp, her eyebrows raised in surprise, a single strand of black hair falling out of its pristine, pinned back style, and her astonished mouth hanging open in a wide “O”. 

________ _ _ _ _

“What- What are you doing here?” she stammered, before being suddenly enveloped in a warm, affectionate hug by the waterbender, who managed to mould her soft body around the cold, unyielding metal of Lin’s police uniform. 

________ _ _ _ _

Typical. 

________ _ _ _ _

Lin, still frozen in shock, her ears burning, stiffly brought her arms to rest on Kya’s back, clothed in a soft blue material typical of the Southern Water Tribe style. 

________ _ _ _ _

Kya pulled back, before asking with a familiar cheeky grin, “Why, did ya miss me?” 

________ _ _ _ _

_More than you’ll ever know. ___

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

Miss her? Lin didn’t think she could ever articulate to Kya the gaping hole in her heart that Kya’s absence meant, how she would bury herself in paperwork and volunteer herself for the most dangerous assignments possible just so she could distract herself from persistent urges to break down with the pain of Kya being gone. 

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

So, miss her? Lin could only scoff in disbelief. 

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

She could only muster, “It’s good to see you. Why didn’t you tell me you were going to be in town?” 

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

Her face felt like it was on fire, a thousand little flames under her collar, searing deep into her skin. 

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

Spirits, she’d forgotten the effect the waterbender had on her, as Kya stood in front of Lin, her long fingers still clutched on the surface of Lin’s metal armour, her dark hair pulled back, small tendrils having escaped their ponytail and delicately framing her face, drawing Lin’s eye to the small beauty mark dotted under her eye. 

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Honestly, I wanted to surprise you back at the station. I would have killed to see the look on your face if I visited you at work, but then I spotted you here, and I was so excited to see you I couldn’t wait!” she smiled, a tinkling laugh escaping her lips. 

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

Lin let out a relieved huff of air, imagining the red, melted state she’d have been in if Kya had come to the station, and the embarrassing comments her mother inevitably would have made, and shot back, 

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

“You know, it was definitely for the best. Mom probably would’ve-” 

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

_“Code 10-42. Fire on the corner of Yang Chen Plaza and Hakota Street. Civilians injured. Healers en route. All units available respond.” ___

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She was cut off abruptly as a tinny, disjointed voice crackled to life from the radio in the police Satomobile that Lin had been making her way over to before she was unexpectedly accosted by Kya.

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“Damnit, I have to go! I’ll see you later!” Lin raked a hand through her hair, disappointment rippling through her body as she turned back to leap into the car. 

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“Wait, Lin!” Kya’s voice rang out, a determined expression on her face. 

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“You know I’m a healer, I can help! I’ve been training while I was away, and I’m almost as good as Mom-” 

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Lin pinched the bridge of her nose, frustrated. She needed to leave, and wanted Kya as far away from any danger as possible, but at the same time, Lin knew she could handle herself, and she would be helpful- Kya was a talented healer who learned directly from Master Katara. 

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Fine, hop in.” She growled, not out of annoyance, but out of apprehension. She wouldn’t let any feelings she may have for Kya to interfere with her job, but she was still slightly self-conscious about Kya seeing her on the job. 

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Kya nodded her thanks, and leapt in beside Lin, and the two screeched through the streets of Republic City, weaving in and out through bustling roads of people, vendors and other vehicles, the siren blaring as the police car raced to the scene of the fire. 

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Kya was calm and cool as the wind whistled through her hair, readying her water skins, running over medical procedure in her head, and preparing herself to hop out of the car and straight into the action. 

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She glanced over at Lin, who was concentrating on the road, thinking of what she needed to do when they got to the scene, and trying not to get distracted by the way Kya looked when she was thinking so seriously about something. 

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When they arrived, a desperate scene stood before them. A beautiful building, of old Earth Kingdom design was burning, flames leaping out of the windows like blazing fireworks, and a thick haze of smoke filled the air. 

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All around them were cops, healers rushing from person to person, fire fighters and the panicked residents of the building. The two leapt out of the police vehicle, prepared to run in opposite directions to where they were needed. 

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As Lin turned, Kya caught her wrist. She looked at Kya, a solemn expression painting her lovely face, who said forcefully, “Good luck, okay? And be careful.” 

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Lin nodded, before rushing over to her Captain to see what needed to be done. Kya found the healers, introduced herself, and was given clearance to help in any way she could. She started with the makeshift tent full of burn victims. 

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As the day wore on, the minutes turning to long, exhausting hours as patient after patient was brought into the healing tent. 

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Kya worked as fast as she could, giving the utmost care to all who needed it, her heart breaking as she saw child after child with agonising burns that left them screaming in terrible pain, and which would most likely leave the poor things scarred. 

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Lin caught sight of her now and again as she helped rescue the civilians from the burning building and carried them into the healing tent herself. 

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She saw Kya in her element, all traces of her usual playfulness gone, giving orders and directing others assuredly, coaxing tentative smiles and small chuckles out of terrified children, and her soothing, comforting touch lessening her patients’ pain. 

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After they had been at the scene for long enough that night had begun to fall, Lin carried an elderly woman into the healing tent. Luckily, the woman wasn’t burned, but she had inhaled far too much smoke, and she was coughing so hard it seemed like her lungs would give out. 

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She saw that Kya was free at that moment, so carried the woman directly over to her, muttering in the woman’s ear, 

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“Don’t tell her I said this, but she’s the best healer in the place. You’re going to be perfectly okay, ma’am.” 

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Kya rushed over in an instant, and Lin placed the woman in a healing bath in front of her. 

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“You’re going to be just fine in a few moments, Ms. …. “ 

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Chen”, the woman wheezed. 

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“My name is Kya, Ms Chen.”, she smiled reassuringly, and began to being the water up around the woman’s chest, instantly soothing the racking cough to a quieter wheeze. 

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Lin stood, entranced as Kya expertly comforted Ms Chen. She watched, suddenly awestruck, as Kya’s skilled hands manipulated the water around the woman’s frail body, its cold, rhythmic touch smoothing over the other injuries the woman’s body sustained, and the look of pure concentration on Kya’s face as she poured her energy into the water, working with the healing liquid as it lit up her face with its eerie blue glow. 

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She shook her head, breaking the spell, and she knew she had been staring. 

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“I have to get back to work. You got this?” she managed gruffly, waiting until she saw Kya nod before quickly rushing back outside. 

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The old woman grabbed Kya’s hand and beckoned her forward as Lin strode out of the tent, a pink glow dusting her pale cheeks as she rearranged her features back into her usual scowl. 

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The woman said in a wavering tone: 

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“Dear, that strong young police officer is completely smitten with you. You should have seen the look on her face while you were healing me! Reminds me of how my husband used to look at me before he passed.” 

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She subsided back into a coughing fit, leaving Kya to process her words. Could Lin possibly return her feelings-? No! They were just friends. Best friends, 

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Kya laughed softly as she replied, “No, Lin’s just my best friend. She couldn’t possibly-” 

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Ms. Chen put a small hand on her arm as she spoke, “All I’m saying dear, is if you’re lucky enough to have someone who looks at you like that, don’t let them get away.” 

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Kya opened her mouth to protest, but thought the better of it, simply nodding as she asked Ms. Chen how she was feeling, pushing away the thoughts that maybe, just maybe, her feelings for Lin might be reciprocated. 

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Meanwhile, Lin was receiving orders from her mother, trying her best to not let thoughts of Kya’s tenderness and passion while healing flood her mind. Her mother of course, knew something was up, and had put two and two together a long time ago. 

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_“Lin.”_

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Toph’s ‘Chief’ voice interjected into her thoughts. 

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“Listen, I know you brought Sugar Queen Jr, here with you, but for spirit’s sake keep your lovesick daydreaming for later! You have a job to do!” before striding away to order someone else around. 

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Lin stayed frozen where she stood, her mind reeling at 100 miles an hour. Her mother had picked up on the way Lin’s heart, since the age of 15, had thumped faster and harder around Kya than anyone else in the world, and asked Lin about it briefly after a particularly close sparring match with Kya. 

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The two never really discussed it again, but her mother must have known all along. 

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Lin sighed, trudging off to fulfill the rest of her duty, but took the liberty of peeking into the healer’s tent one last time. 

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She saw Kya, having moved on to the next injured person, smiling a small smile as she murmured to the man she was healing, the water flowing effortlessly around the bath. She looked incredibly exhausted, almost dead on her feet, but strong and compassionate as she eased the man’s pain with her practiced bending. 

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Lin let a faint smile grace her lips as she peered through the small crack in the tent flap, before quietly walking back over to the now just smouldering building. 

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***** 

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Lin, now Captain Beifong, was hunched over at her desk, trying desperately to finish the paperwork she was working on so she could just get home and collapse into her bed. It was almost midnight, but for once, the station was still busy, bustling with rookies and other officers on the night shift. 

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She absent-mindedly watched as the shadows flicked and danced on the walls of her office, her only light source being candlelight, but a sudden knock on her door disrupted her reverie, and she grumbled a curt, 

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“Enter.” 

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“Captain, you’re needed in a responding unit! Hostile benders are involved, and you-” a young officer panted, and it looked like she’d run from her desk straight to Lin’s office. 

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“Of course,” Lin sighed, dismissing the officer, cursing privately in her head. Her bones screamed at her to lie down and sleep for a long, long time, but that was the nature of the job. 

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She checked that she had all her appropriate equipment before rushing out to a police vehicle with some of her other colleagues, all of whom were at least competent benders. 

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They careened through the streets of the city, lit up by the night lights, and Lin was briefed by a fellow officer that a firebending man and a waterbending woman were engaged in a dangerous fight, destroying property, and the police had been called to break it up and make the necessary arrests. 

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Lin let out a pained sigh as they arrived at the scene as she observed the street that was almost completely frozen over with ice, and the few smoldering buildings that surrounded the dueling pair. 

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Through the dark night, she could make out a tall, brawny man, dressed in tattered clothing that looked as if it had once been red, with dark hair and a stringy goatee, tossing flames at a woman. 

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The woman, she noted, was tall and slender, dressed in light blue typical Southern Water Tribe summer clothing, with long, dark hair tied back into a traditional ponytail style. 

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She was fighting the man ferociously, unleashing wave after wave of thick jets of overpowering water at him, flinging spears of ice at his head as she effortlessly dodged his blasts of fire, moving almost like... like an _airbender._

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There was something familiar about the woman and her bending style that Lin couldn’t quite place, until the woman turned, easily avoiding a fire fist to the stomach, and Lin caught a glimpse of her face. 

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She’d know those eyes anywhere. It was _Kya._

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Lin knew that Kya was planning a visit to Republic City from the South Pole, where she was currently living with Katara, but she hadn’t known exactly when, but, she supposed, you could always count on Kya to make a dramatic entrance. 

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She wondered how on earth Kya had managed to get herself into this situation, but she didn’t have much time to ponder on it as her and her colleagues ran forward, shouting, 

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“Republic City Police! Hands up!” 

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Kya released a final, mighty blast of water at the man, her arms thrusting forwards, the water cascading towards the man under her enthralling command, her eyes flashing with hot rage, a terrifying, fiery look that Lin had only ever seen before occasionally on Katara. 

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She brought the water high up into the air before freezing the wave, encasing the firebender in spiked ice, six feet in height. Even the police stopped and gaped at this powerful display of bending, shocked by the waterbender’s prowess at manipulating the element. 

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Lin shook her head, dazed as ever at Kya’s proficient grip over the water, and silently observed that Kya was just as adaptable, resilient and powerful as the liquid she bent. 

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She had always been a gentle soul, more interested in using her talent to help and heal people rather than fight them, so Lin was rarely privy to Kya using her gift in non-friendly bending fight situations, and often forgot the sheer power the waterbender could wield. 

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She shook her head, praying that she could maintain her professionalism as she started towards Kya, gesturing to the other officers that they handle the firebender, if, she thought, concealing a smirk, they can get him down, as she glanced up at the man who was still suspended six feet in the air, frozen into the top of a tower of ice. 

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“Ma’am, I’m going to need you to tell me the meaning of this disturbance. You cannot destroy private property like this!” Lin declared, willing her face to remain stoic and impassible. 

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“Officer, this man approached me as I was walking alone, wouldn’t stop sexually harassing me, followed me all the way down the street before trying to lay his hands on me. You cannot arrest me for attempting to- wait- “ 

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“Lin?” Kya had started hotly, but her voice gave way to incredulousness as she recognised her old friend (friend? She wasn’t sure if they were just friends anymore, if she was judging by the love letters they had been writing to each other recently). 

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“Kya, you said this man tried to hurt you?” Lin asked, trying to keep the hot bubble of anger in her chest at bay as she narrowed her green eyes. She raked a hand through her thick black hair. 

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“Yes.” Kya answered, folding her arms in front of her chest and shifting her weight to one side. 

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Lin leant in towards Kya, placing her lips beside her ear, and whispered “If you unfreeze the ice, I’ll handle this from here.” 

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Kya looked at Lin for a moment, then nodded, conveying her trust to Lin. She raised a hand, and the man came crashing back to earth, before being restrained by some of Lin’s officers, metal cables encircling his arm and waist. 

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Lin approached him, a look of pure disgust and disdain in her narrowed eyes as she surveyed the sorry excuse for a man in front of her. 

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“So, I hear we have a man that likes to use his bending to intimidate and abuse seemingly helpless women. Would that be right, sir?” she hissed, staring daggers down at the man on the ground. 

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“No! Agh, that stupid whore-” the man muttered, scowling before he was cut off. 

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“Enough.” Lin thundered, and the man finally had the grace to look scared at Lin’s steely tone. 

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“If I _ever _hear you spew that filth, about this woman or any other woman again, I’ll personally see to it that you never see the light of day,” she spat.__

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Lin paused, allowing a lazy smirk to play across her lips, before leaning in so only the man could hear her, 

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“And if you ever come near this woman again, I’ll kill you myself” she growled, a threatening, menacing look on her face, taking particular pleasure in the man’s horrified expression. 

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She turned to her officers, ordering, “Get him in the back of the vehicle. Charge him with assault, destruction of private property and disturbing the peace.” 

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Once the man was safely stowed in the vehicle, she told her officers, 

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“I’m going to personally escort this lady home, and then go home myself - make sure he’s locked up. Goodnight.” 

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They bowed respectfully to each other, and the car drove away into the night, leaving the two women to process what had just happened. 

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Lin approached Kya, who had watched her whole exchange with the firebender, and swept her into her arms, giving her a tight hug despite her metal uniform, and asked, looking deeply into the other woman’s eyes, 

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“Kya, are you okay?” 

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She gave Lin a steady nod, before reassuring her “I dealt with creeps like him all the time while I was travelling,” wrinkling her nose in disgust. “I can handle it.” 

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Lin let out an amused huff of air, responding resolutely, “I don’t doubt it!”, remembering the vicious defense Kya had mounted. Kya looked away, suddenly shy. 

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“C’mon, let’s get out of here.” Lin urged, eager to get back to her apartment. Kya always stayed with Lin whenever she came to the city, and this time was no different. 

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Kya tentatively intertwined her fingers with Lin’s as they walked through the dark streets, half expecting Lin to pull away, knowing her intensely private nature, but she didn’t. On the contrary, she seemed to lean into Kya’s touch as the two strolled, discussing what had just happened, and catching up on eachother’s lives. 

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Later, after the two women shared a late night, candlelit meal of rice and curry and a glass of sake each, they lay sprawled, their bodies entwined together on Lin’s couch. Kya untucked her head from where it rested on Lin’s shoulder and asked, a familiar, roguish look in her sparkling blue eyes, 

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“What did you whisper in the man’s ear after you shouted at him the first time?” she giggled, softly tucking a strand of Lin’s silky black hair that had fallen onto her face behind her ear, “Because he looked like he was about to pee himself!” 

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Lin rolled her eyes fondly, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards, before catching Kya’s hand to press a delicate kiss to her palm, and replied, a suddenly solemn look on her face, 

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“I told him that if he ever went near you again, I’d personally kill him.” 

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Lin’s words hung in the air between them as she watched Kya process what she had admitted, suddenly scared that she had said too much. 

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But her fear was abated as Kya’s face took on an even impossibly softer expression than it wore previously, and she leaned over, pressing a passionate kiss to Lin’s lips, her gentle hand resting on Lin’s cheek, trying to pour just how safe (and also turned on) Lin’s words had made her feel through physical touch alone, knowing she would never be able to articulate the feeling in mere words. 

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Lin welcomed the tender kiss, trying to pour all of her own pent-up feelings about Kya into the simple physical motion, tangling a hand into Kya’s long, dark hair to bring her closer, the ponytail long since abandoned. 

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Lin pulled away, resting their foreheads together, and chuckled, “Not that you need my protection – with the moves you pulled out there tonight, I think you can look after yourself.” 

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She felt Kya smile, before crashing their lips together with a renewed vigor. Remembering how Kya looked as she fought, her controlled grasp doing incredible things with the water, her beautiful face determined, every movement precise and deadly, well, that memory was enough for Lin to pull Kya roughly onto her lap and place a wandering hand on her waist, pushing their bodies closer and closer together as she kissed a fiery trail down Kya’s neck.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love me some lin being protective of kya (not that she needs it). 
> 
> thanks for reading, plz leave a comment if you have any thoughts !!

**Author's Note:**

> fellow pharbz in the fandom make yourselves known !! if you enjoy plz plz feel free to leave a comment :)


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